Sumitomo Chemical to close ethylene plant at Chiba

8:43 AM MST | February 8, 2013 | —Deepti Ramesh

Chiba plant: Sumitomo to close the 415,000-m.t./year ethylene plant by September 2015. Sumitomo Chemical says it has decided to close permanently its 415,000-m.t./year ethylene plant at Chiba, Japan, by September 2015. Sumitomo says it is also considering the possibility of closing the site’s ethylene derivative facilities. The petrochemical industry in Japan has faced a difficult business environment in recent years due mainly to a decline in domestic demand and an increase in imports, and this trend is expected to continue, Sumitomo says. The company...